FOUNTAIN,
COLO. (June 16, 2002) - Rayovac Blair Racing driver Alex Barron of
Menifee, Calif. finished tenth today.
Seventh place in the drivers'
standings, Blair Racing and its driver Barron attacked the one-mile
track at Pikes Peak International vying for a top finishing position
in today's Radisson Indy 225. Barron qualified 15th for the 225-lap
event out of the 23 drivers in the seventh race of the Indy Racing
League (IRL) 15-race schedule. Today's race was a two-day event for
the IRL field, the first of five two-day events of the season. This
format compacts the normal three days of practice, qualifying and
racing into two, making it more intensive for everyone. Furthermore,
the fact that Rayovac Blair Racing had not tested here and Barron had
not raced here tapped into everyone's experience and concentration for
the 225 mile event. Barron, a skilled driver with excellent feedback,
worked hard with the team and the engineer to setup a good race car in
the only IRL event at the mile-high altitude.
The race started with sunny skies
with very dark and stormy skies hanging in the distance. Barron and
the field battled close together for the opening laps. The beginning
of the race was uneventful but that would change quickly on lap 31
after the first pit stop for the Rayovac Blair team which came under
yellow. Stopping on lap 31, Barron left the pits after fuel, tires and
a front wing adjustment was made. On lap 33 the dark skies opened with
hard rain and hail. The race was red flagged on lap 34 and all of the
IRL entries were brought down pit lane and stopped. The teams were
allowed to work on the cars while the track dried. The race resumed
and Barron was on the move; by lap 74 he was tenth. The blue and white
Rayovac entry raced hard with very light rain passing through the
Colorado countryside. While Barron was in seventh, the rain increased
and another yellow was thrown for rain; running under yellow and slow
conditions the IRL waited for the rain to pass. The race continued in
full force on lap 115 with Barron moving into sixth p lace and staying
there until lap 140. Slowly the handling of the car went away and he
slipped to 12th. The Blair team pitted for the last time on lap 160.
Rain and wind continued to toy with the field, coming and going from
heavy to light. Barron and the other entries went onto finish all 225
laps, with Barron in tenth for the final 13 laps.
"I had an acceleration problem
with the engine and it would not respond when I lifted off of the
throttle at the start of the race," said Barron. "Other than
that the race went fairly well for us. The car had good balance and
then went loose. We stopped and put new tires on it and it came back.
We had a lot of gremlins before the race today but overcame them to
finish tenth. But another top-ten again; I was hoping for better then
this. Tenth is not very good and not good enough for our team."
Just last week at Texas Motor
Speedway, Barron and the Blair crew brought home a top-ten finish. For
the season, they now have one top-five finish and five top-ten
finishes. Barron remains in seventh position in the drivers' point
standings going into the next race.
The summer stretch continues in
Virginia on June 29 and on July 7 at Kansas Speedway. The SunTrust
Indy Challenge will be held on the 0.75-mile "bullring"
asphalt oval located in Richmond, VA . It will air live on ESPN at
7:30 p.m. (EDT). The eighth race of the season will also air live on
the IMS Radio Network; the IRL's official website can help you locate
a radio station near you and also has live timing and scoring at www.indyracing.com.
Powerful facts about Rayovac:
Rayovac is one of the world's leading battery and lighting device
companies. Rayovac also markets the number-one selling rechargeable
brand of battery in the U.S. with nearly a 70 percent share. In
addition, the company is the world leader in hearing aid batteries
with a 60 percent worldwide share. Rayovac trades on the New York
Stock Exchange under the ROV symbol. Rayovac markets a variety of
batteries including alkaline and heavy duty batteries; lithium coin
cells; zinc air hearing aid batteries; and rechargeable alkaline and
nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries and chargers. The company also
markets a broad line of battery-operated flashlights and lanterns.
More information about Rayovac can be found at www.rayovac.com.
www.BlairRacing.com
keeps fans up-to-date with all the latest team news and
information.